closed captioning by closed captioning services, inc. [ applause ] >> sean: welcome. our first ever great american forum. tonight joining us for the hour is a man that many would like to see make a run for the white house. please welcome former florida governor jeb bush. how are you? >> thank you, very well. [ applause ] >> sean: you miss the spotlight you've been out of the spotlight a little while. >> i'm in the corners, not wl much on television. i try to have my voice be heard, but not on a regular basis on tv. but it is an honor to be with you. >> sean: it is an honor to have you here. i'm going to ask you all the questions that i think -- we

have serious issues. substantive issues we need to lead the country towards, for solutions. national review was pretty much begging jeb bush to get in the 2012 presidential race. did you see the piece? >> i did. it was very flattering. others have written nice things. then they move on to mike huckabee and mitch daniels. huckabee out, daniels out. >> a part of this is unfair to the candidates that are in the arena, running. they are all good men and women, capable. they've made the all-in commitment in yearning for something else is flattering for someone if you are that someone else. in reality, i think this race, we have qualified candidates. as it gets closer to the primaries, to the caucuses and primaries i think people will begin to see the mettle of the men and women that running. >> sean: i agree. i don't like this media narrative this is a weak field

they can win that obama is certain to get reelected. >> i agree with youé and disagree with the pundits that form conventional which is come that are always wrong if you recall, my dad in 1992, had an approval rating that was double what president obama has rate now. he was running against the seven dwarfs, i think. one of those became president. president clinton. the know shun that somehow these -- the know hunt that somehow these aren't folks that are capable of winning is ridiculous. >> sean: you really engaged in the issues that i think this country now is facing. which are as challenging as any point in our history.# walk us through the thought process of why you decided not to run? the fact that your father, your brother were president did that impact you? >> no, i love my brother and i will have my dad.

i would consider it a blessing if i was a candidate to have their support and be associated with them. the reason i'm not running doesn't have anything to do with politics or underwriting the political risks. when you run you got to be all in and you take risks of winning and losing. i never felt comfortable with making political decisions based on whether it was the right thing to do in terms of a poll. by the way,0ç the context changes almost immediately once you embark on a journey like that. and it will change 10 times between now and the iowa caucuses. my note is personal. relates to my family. -- my motivation is personal. relates to my family. we all have a duty to provide financial security for our families going forward. so, people don't believe it, but i promise you that's the reason. it doesn't mean i'm a hermit or going to live in a cave. i'm totally engaged in the process. i may support a candidate.

i intend to have my voice heard. just won't be with a big megaphone. >> sean:7ç do you agree this particular primary is a little different than previous primaries? republicans seem to have historically pick the next person up this year seems to be a battle between a tea party candidate or establishment candidate is that a fair characterization? >> i think that's right. i think the old order is being dismembered. the democratic party is a coalition of communities around special interests. president obama was very effective in mobilizing support in the down fall of the democratic party around his candidacy being the organized principle of that.gr that's what he's going to try again. republicans are slower to move into the 21st century model. but, the old idea that it was someone's turn no longer is valid. >> sean: you have been very

critical of president obama on one issue in particular. it came up again today. the fact that the president seems obsessed with braming your brother for all of the problems that exist -- with blaming your brother for all of the problems that exist. >> that is personal for me i get tired of it. >> sean: the polls show it is not working any more. >> the guy has been there for three years. it is time to accept responsible. he was dealt a very difficult hand. no one can deny that. the fact is, he's been there long enough for his economic policies to work. with all due respect, i'm not one that believes there's some kind of -- i don't ascribe evil motives to the president. i think he believes what he believes. i think his beliefs are wrong. and his policies are misguided and they haven't worked. and he's not willing to adjust to a different set of policies. our challenge, as republicans, candidates and those that believe in limited government,

can't just be to attack the president as the organizing principle of our party. that worked in 2010 very effectively, i think. we have to offer a compelling alternative that is more hopeful and optimistic. and pro growth that will create jobs for americans. i'm confident that will happen. it hasn't really emerged yet. but i believe that our candidates will start doing that. >> sean: i've said when i give speeches if the dog bites you it is george bush's fault, according to barack obama. now a poll shows that is not working. how would you grade this president on two issues? the when and national security. >> i would say national security is work in progress. it is interesting that he was very critical as a candidate of the policies that my brother -- >> sean: you teach in florida, i'm going to get into your reform if you had to give him a grade? >> passing, but barely. i would say failing on the

economy. the idea that you can stimulate economic growth by creating passive uncertainy for the folks that make investments that create the jobs, which are predominantly small businesses is not going to work. then the hyper regulatory climate on top of that and the fear of just change being always to the detriment of people that are willing to invest and compete and create jobs, it hasn't worked. it is clear that it hasn't worked. we have long term structural problems that we have to deal with. and i don't think we ought to be arguing on a partisan basis. we have short term challenges that the president's policies have been tried and they've failed. >> sean: i look at your background as a governor. we are going to go through a lot of issues that you implemented that are being duplicated in other states. your brother's record as a governor. your father was a congressman, ambassador, cia director, vice president, before he became president.

do you think maybe the root cause of this is he didn't have the experience to be president? doesn't have the background? never ran a business? hung out with very radical people? >> he's a smart guy. you can see how he, like on foreign policy, i think he's moving towards a policy that is better than where he started. i think he's capable of learning these things. but he doesn't have people around him that have any practical experience. bill daley is the first guy that worked in the private sector that is part of his inner circle. no one in his cabinet has. when they make these big decisions there is no one that has created a job. >> sean: good point. as our hourlong special with governor bush continues we tackle the country's economic crisis. how would a jeb bush administration put americans back to work? sorry. ♪

i used to see the puddles, but now i see the splash. ♪ i wanted love, i needed love ♪ ♪ most of all, most of all... ♪

[ applause ] >> sean: america is at a pivotal economic cross roads. the time to make tough decisions now. an unemployment rate continues to whoever at over 9%. staggering national debt that keeps climbing. is the white house willing to embrace the changes necessary to put our economy on right track? former florida governor jeb bush has specific suggestions for president obama. he joins us as part of our great american forum. i know you have no intention of running.

i don't want to go there. you did give the president is "f" on the economy. you said republicans cannot just criticize president obama. they've got to offer up solutions. you wrote a piece back in april, describing what we ought to be doing to get the economy back on track. give you a chance to explain. >> well, you can't just cut the budget towards our prosperity. that's -- we have a fiscal problem, living beyond our means through government. we have to grow economically for revenues to come into the government. more importantly for revenues to come into families in our country. we have to grow at a more rebust rate over a sustained period of time. a total review of our regulatory system and bringing revelation to the -- regulation to the 21st century is essential. overhaul of the tax code -- >> sean: flat consumption? >> if you could get to a consumption tax that would be

magnificent. certainlyj;y;ñ bringing down ras and simplifying the code. i think we need a revolution in our education system. so we don't have a third of our children gaining the power of knowledge to allow them to be successful in life. that's where we are today. we need an energy policy that is based on our own resources in is the most bizarre thing in the world that -- this is the most bizarre thing in the world. i think we are the only country. the rest of the countries that are actively trying to create green economy and all that. the minute they have resources in their own country they seem to do the right thing. which is to exploit them. because it creates investment and jobs in their own country. we have a

that is going to cost less, and protect the environment, i'm all for it. >> we'll 400 billion dollars net this year going to places that are either hostile to us already or possibly unstable that could become outright -- >> sean: venezuela, mexico -- >> it is foolhearty. >> sean: in your time as governor you cut 20 billions from our state budget. that's a big number for a state. you cut taxes. net cuts of 20 billion dollars total: the president will not deal with medicaid, medicare, social security reform. the bigger part of our budget. he just added a new entitlement, health care.

they won't seem to touch it. rejected it and ridiculed paul ryan. >> paul ryan put together a plan scored by the congressional budget office that is detailed enough that people can critique it if, you will. the only person who has had the courage to step up and say what he would do. he gets an "a" just for effort. i think the result is, a very solid plan. because remember, what we're talking about is cutting the growth and spending. washington budget is not a kitchen table budget situation. we are talking about cutting four trillion or six trillion over 10 years sounds like a huge amount. it is cutting the growth. it is not cutting back on a situation that is at an all-time high. >> sean: do you think what we see happening in greece, spain, italy, portugal and europe, do you think that is going to come to america if we don't dale with this problem sooner

than later? >> -- absolutely. we have the advantage of being the international currency and no one has figured out who you to replace the dollar as the international reserve currency. you can create a basket of currencies to be able to allow international commerce to take place. we are not greece. we have productive capacity that is real. we are an innovative nation. so, we're not2ri,ñ -- -- greeces got serious issues. >> sean: -- [ unintelligible ] >> we are on that path. the only way we can change the situation is grow our economy instead at 1 1/2% at 3 1/2or 4%. the united states is the only country that could have sustained economic growth that looked like an emerging country. but i -- but it would require a dramatic change in policy. >> sean: liberals complain about conservatives' calls for

stricter standards in our schools. one family is here to tell us about the impact that the standards implemented by governor bush and what it had on their l thanks to the venture card from capital one, we get double miles on every purchase, so me and the boys earned a trip to dc twice as fast! oh hi! we get double miles every time we use our card. and since double miles add fast... one more chariot please. ...we can bring the whole gang! i cannot tell a lie. he did it. right... it's hard to beat dole miles! read mlips -- no new axes!

[ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one, and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? so, you're a docrat right?

>> here's the story i want to

tell you. it is one that gives me great joy. it comes from an e-mail that i got last year. governor your education program was under discussion at a recent family get together. our granddaughter was held back in 1st grade because she was unable to read up to the standards you set as governor. >> she was not able to read. and she would have before governor bush's program, she would have been moved on. if it wasn't for this program, we don't know what would have happened to her. >> in 2002 florida eliminated social promotion. lord knows there was a huge controversy. a third of our children were functionally illiterate. people were worried about the self-esteem of johnny rather than whether they could read. >> when i got held back the first day was so hard. i went home balling in tears, because all my friends were in the second grade. >> if you are illiterate in 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th

grade, you will dropout. also your self-esteem will be shattered when you can't fill out a form to get a job. >> absolutely the right decision. i see my friends now that didn't get held back that should have been and they are struggling. >> in two years we cut the it -- i will lit -- illiteracy rate in half i would be struggling now. i wouldn't be able to pursue my dreams. >> sean: well -- welcome back. roy and die and lyons with their -- roy and dianne lyons with their granddaughter join us. i got to imagine, if 1st grade and your friends moving on to 2nd, that's tough. >> it was tough. >> sean: now you see the wisdom in it. that's a great story.

tell us what it was like for you at the time? >> it was extremely hard. i wanted so bad to be with my friends. it was a perfect decision. i wouldn't change it. >> sean: you want to be a dancer? >> yes. >> sean: and go to school at nyu. >> yes. >> i went there a year and they are glad i left. that is a great story. governor you said something that is key. if people -- if we don't have enough love for our kids to be tough on them, and to insist they get this education and read at the proper levels, done the line we are ruining the gifts they -- down the line we are ruining the gifts they were born with >> i believe all children have a god given ability to learn if you lower the bar so everybody passes, you get a bad result. that's basically the definition up until recently of american education. so, a third of our kids 10

years ago in florida, were below basic readers. were functioning illiterate. we said no more. that number was cut in half. tens of thousands of kids now are grade level readers that otherwise wouldn't have been. other states are now adopting these policies. i think it is great. there's many other things we need to do. elimination of social promotion is a good policy. over emphasis on self-esteem that feeling good is the organizing principle of life is dangerous. doing good is what matters. and you have to be equipped to do well. you are not going to feel well at the end of the day after you leave school if you don't have a job. >> sean: i never understood not keeping score. as if the kids themselves don't keep score. when were you governor, you were able to bring about some school choice. you got rid of tenure. last in, first out. you took on the teachers'

union. were you able to do things. about a dozen states have been able to follow the florida model. >> yeah. and the things that we've done is created a culture of reform in florida that has been advanced by governor scott and the legislature. and the more upon -- and more important is what are the results? florida went from the bottom of the pack as measured by -- >> sean: you are better than 31 states now. >> those are just hispanic kids. we went from 29th out of 31 in the 4th grade national test to 6th out of 50. in 10 years' time that is a dramatic improvement. it is because of these suite of reforms and great teachers. and parents getting more involved and the business community, mobilizing support. eliminating this notion that some kids can learn and some can't. >> sean: the latin derivative for education bring forth from

within predicated on the idea that it is there we have to love the kids to bring it out of them. do you remember when president reagan had a landmark study, nation at risk? our own government study concluded what happened to the system in america were done by an outside entity would be tantamount to an act of war. that's -- you sauna in florida and changed it. >> we tried. there's -- there's still more that needs to be done in the land of midgets being a submitted sized small person is looks like a giant but there's a long way for all of our students to go. we are competing with people that have expectations far higher hand what exists in florida or any other state. -- one of the reasons why i'm excited about the future is, we are involved in this effort to use technology to use digital learning as the catalyst for greater advancement. once again, the frustration i feel is there are things that

aren't ideological that partisanship shouldn't be in the way of, but it is it seems like the stuff that we could get done, we're now in this intractable situation where even the stuff that could get done isn't getting done. and our country is lagging behind. >> sean: those results you would think would be implemented nationally. there was an all girls public school in harlem, new york girls wore uniforms, score skyrocketed, they loved it and their parents loved it and they sued to close it. does that make sense? >> no. naacp protesting outside of charter schools in new york. you would think the chance of inner city kids getting a better education should be -- >> sean: priority one. >> because of the huge gaps that exist and obvious fact is going forward irrespective of where you start, we've got to improve learning across the board for us to be competitive with asia, europe and around

the world. >> sean: coming up the story of a young man's journey to fulfill his dream of graduating college. he said in large part thanks to the policies that were implemented by governor bush. that and much more, stra some people think allstate only protects your car. here's the truth: allstate can also protect your home or apartment. as well as your boat, motorcycle, rv, and snowmobile. and even youretirement and your life. not many insurance companies can say that.

but allstate can. now that you know the truth, know this: the more of your world you put in good hands, the more you can save. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. just don't feel like they used to. are you one of them? remember when you had more energy for 18 holes with your buddies. more passion for the one ya love. more fun with your family and friends. it could be a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. come on, stop living in the shadows. you've got a life to live. [ male announcer ] so don't blame it on aging. talk to your doctor and go to isitlowt.com to find out more. we're putting them to the test against the speed of a rescue unit. go ! they're downloading a music album. the first network to finish gets rescued. does your phone know that we're racing ?

done ! verizon's done ! i've got seven left ! the fastest network in america. verizon. built so you can rule the air. now powering the lg revolution.

[ applause ] >> sean: welcome back to our great american forum. governor jeb bush championed many causes one in particular was his passion for school choice. >> i love school choice. i think it is the most important thing. my first year as governor we created a voucher program based on failing schools. the net result is, we've empowered people that otherwise wouldn't have had power. and we've made our public schools better because there is now a chance. one of the students that benefit from the program. franz went to the ash bishop

high school. >> if i didn't attend i don't think -- not think that wouldn't have again to college but i might not have been -- have gone to college, but i might not have been as excited or enthusiastic about making that next step. >> he graduated and now is about ready to graduate from wagner college in new york. major in sociology and happens to be a defensive back and special teams player for this college. choice matters. >> i would love to thank the governor this experience has been really good. i don't think i would have been as successful as i am now, if it wasn't for the program that he implemented. >> sean: joining news the audience is franz welcome to hannity, thanks for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> sean: you say you wanted to thank the governor. what specifically happened with this program and this choice that made such a big different in your life? >> the biggest different was

being allowed to go to a school where learning was important. and the student was important. not just being in a classroom. but being in a classroom with teach there's would be able to help you one-on-one if you did have an issue that you needed help with. the classroom sizes were very important. we were able to learn and not have so many distractions. >> sean: you may be playing professional football we hear? >> hopefully, soon. >> more importantly, after his football career he wants to be a teacher. >> sean: i read that too. >> the point about choice it improves public schools. the school that he would have gone to was the lowest performing in the state. it had 8% of students were grid level readers based on the -- grade level readers based on the statewide test. that school has gotten better because there were options available. we've expanded choice programs

public and private to the most ambitious in the country. >> sean: i never thought i would read about a school cheating scandal. >> heartbreaking. >> sean: like we did in at. it is not the students cheating, it is -- we did in atlanta. it is not the students cheating, it is the teachers. teachers cheating helping the students, passing them along because they want to look better. in other words, covering upól> i would say that franz said the right thing. which is his school was a student-centered school. focused on the needs of the student. we have too many schools inside of the 13,000 school districts in our country, that are adult-centered. they are focused on the economic interests of the adults. focused on their advancement rather than whether students are learning. the accountability systems, having choice that brings competition and pressure on the system is important.

bob and i, two old dog former governors, had been involved in an$w effort to advance digital learning which is key. to bring the 21st century into the classroom where kids can learn quicker at their own pace that to me is the spear that will change things. >> you and governor weiss is the tag team. as al gore is to global warming, you guys are to education. i hate to make such a comparison. governor there is this powerpoint presentation that governor bush and you are involved in. also this digital learning project. >> when governor bush called a year ago and said can we work together on digital learning? absolutely. for tñ@(r j, educators it is like a fourth multiplier in the military it gives a chance to extend to all children and students, quality education. there's one state, just as random, 44 ojai schools, and

88 physics teachers. -- how do we get -- >> sean: explain digital learning. >> governor bush was very much instrumental in florida in implementing the florida virtual school system. digital learning is online it has expanded now. the ability to bring from outside that fixed school, additional content materi and quality teaching. having said that, we believe, i think governor that the future is in blended learning that's where you are going to do digital learning inside a traditional school. it enables that teacher to perform even better. it also assists teachers. you can do professional development. i think it is a wonderful combination of high-tech and high teach and we get more compelling results like we heard here today. >> that's right. you can imagine students learning at their own pace in their own way, using

technology. right now we force teachers to do what they did in 1950, teach to the the seat, finish 180 days, you are passed along even if you haven't mastered it. held back even if you mastered it halfway through that has to change if we are going to accelerate the chances for us to be competitive. >> sean: my kids 12 and 9 they want to learn now to play a computer game, ipad, i need an app downloaded, i go to my 9-year-old daughter. >> one of the big challenges is teachers are less technologically -- >> sean: so are parents. >> at age two kids are playing with this stuff to apply this is an appropriate 21stãcentury solution to a real challenge we face. >> sean: thank you both. a look back at the bush legacy, trimming bureaucracy, cutting taxes, ending affirmative action changed florida. first, a special message from

one of the governor's former colleagues and close friends. >> as a rookie governor a adopted jeb bush as a model, mentor, education was probably the principle reason. nine years later, i couldn't have chosen better. many of the things we broke through are direct phraeupblg rink from things that he -- plagiarism, from things that he did in florida. truec÷ at ability for s and teachers. rewarding the best teachers. major new investment in early education by making full day kindergarten universal. jeb bush was a pioneer. someone that i always admired for many reasons. no grounds stronger than what no grounds stronger than what he did, [ male announcer ] this...is the network --

a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more amecans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... f greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say.

this is a victory for doing things a new way and i'm excited about that. >> sean: jeb bush was elected governor november 4th, 1998,

the same day his brother won reelection in texas. >> the second best thing of the evening. goody5 going brother. >> sean: during his eight year stint, the hand of fate applaused governor bush at the center of some of the nation's most highly charged political dramas, 200's epic presidential race never did i imagine it would be this close. i hope i will never have to go through another evening like i did. >> sean: to the bitter battle over terry schiavo's right to life. for bush doing things a new way meant ending affirmative action in florida. instituting the first statewide school voucher program in the country. >> are going to give parents other options when their schools the most important$k public service we provide don't work for their needs. >> sean: keeping disaster response local. despite calls to federalize it in the wake of hurricane katrina. >> if you were in a mandatory evacuation area you need to

get to high ground now. there won't be another request, because it would be too late. >> sean: he kept florida on its feet as 10 hurricanes ravaged its shores. there's no income tax in florida. he managed to cut taxes, every wouldn't of his eight years in office. 20 billion dollars in all. and to eliminate 11,000 bureaucratic jobs. his legacy says it all. bush was the first republican governor in florida's history to win reelection.d/ and the state has not elected a democrat to that post since the one he sent packing in 1998. that was a window into the change that jeb bush brought to florida during his eight years behind the wheel. we continue with the former governor. i looked at your track record. i know we spent a lot of time on educating. you cut taxes by 20 billion dollars. you really define yourself as a small government conservative, right? >> yeah. i don't think there is such a

thing as a big government conservative. contradiction in terms. there was a time whe$z people said that was okay. it seems to be to be contradictory. >> sean: it is to me too. i'm a registered conservative in new york. i'm not a registered republican. because i believe in those principles. it seems even the republicans get away from them sometimes. >> no question but it. when i was governor, which, i don't know who that guy was in that film the skinny guy that had brown hair that is someone totally different than i am today. we were -- except for the downturn after september 11th, this was a boon time. the challenge was different than it is today. i give credit to -- to the governors that have to deal with the budget shortfalls today. it would be great to challenge how government works. we did that during difficult times in the time of the greatest boon in florida's

mystery we cut back 13,000 state workers. you can do it if you adhere to principle. if you are a conservative that typically means you believe in less government. it mean that -- my view is, this relates to my faith as much as my ideology, we should put the people in the front of line that are most deserving. the disabled, the frail, the children that are abused and abandoned and neglected.05(p&hc% and we did that. we put those folks to the front of the line. the other things had less priority. education being the principal thing i was most passionate about. priorities might be different governor by governor, if you are a conservative and you say you are going to be a conservative you ought to act like a conservative when you have a chance to do it. >> sean: i had to dig deep to find areas where conservatives disagreed with you. i found two. one was, they thought you were pushing oil companies too far out offshore. you wanted them 125 miles.

the other was on immigration. i know you feel very strongly about conservatives, republicans, reachingo=ut to hispanic community. and where you stand on immigration. those were the two areas i could find. >> there's probably others. the first is interesting no one ever came to me when i was governor and said, jeb is really stupid to drill way offshore. it is more dangerous to drill way offshore. if you want to protect the shoreline of florida allow for inshore drilling. not a single person. >> sean: now you would say yes? >> now i think everybody has to give at the office, if you will, as it relates to a national energy strategy. that overcomes all the othercq challenges. we have this explosion of natural gas that has potential for us to create a strategy that allow us to be -- allows us to be less dependent on

foreign sources. we should innovate as it relates to coal and things that would make coal a more viable source of energy because we have more coal than saudi arabia. my views have evolved a bit on that as it relates to immigration, we can't grow at 4% per year unless we draw our population with young aspiring people. my hope is, beyond this control, fix the border, which we have to do. great nations should not have a porous border. so we can create a strategy around inviting people in that have high degrees that have entrepreneurial passions that are hardworking, for us to be able to grow. we have to grow our population and it can't be with people my age and up. it has to be with young aspiring people. >> sean: i agree with you. i'm the product of immigration. my grandparents came here from ireland at the turn of the

last century. i don't like the false characterization that somehow conservatives are against hispanics, because they don't support illegal immigration. that is a narrative i reject outright. >> i do too. i think we have great possibilities if republicans can master the tone of politics. language matters. if you send a signal, yelling and screaming and finger-pointing that it is them and us. by the way, you are not part of our club it is hard to get people excited about joining your team. i think the tone of republican candidates needs to improve. if it does, we are the party of aspiration and people that come -- the number arrived want an opportunity. they don't want a handout. >> sean: when we come back the audience gets their chance to get in on the discussion. next on this

[ applause ] >> sean: welcome back. we continue to be joined by former florida governor jeb bush. now it is time for the audience to ask him a few questions. we start with luke. welcome to the program, thanks for being here. you have a question for

governor bush? >> yes, mr. bush you earlier stated that you were not considering running for office. would there be any circumstances that would change your idea of running? >> sean: thank you for going back to my topic. [ laughing ] >> sean: i'm only kidding. >> i don't anticipate that. you never say never this is a standard answer that i've learned how to give. you never say never. but, i'm never ruling out being on "dancing with the stars." the eight ball that i use to make big decisions, not so good. there are a lot of ways you can make a difference. bob weis and you are involved in education rereport. i'm involved in causes where my voice is heard and people that share my belief are excited about moving forward. i can play a role without being a candidate. >> sean: let me throw out a hypothetical. luke is a budding journalist.

obviously, education is your passion. you go around the country. you have your 20 one point power plan, you -- 21 point power plan. you are getting states to follow. what if the gop nominee came to you and said, governor i want you to be my running mate. i'll make you the country's education czar. which is your passion. >> it is that's a good question. i haven't beened is that question before sean. i don't know what i would do. i would say that education czar is the wrong thing. we don't need any more stars. >> sean: i stand corrected. the country's educational leader. >> it is important to realize that the reforms that are necessary are going to have to happen state by state. that's where the laws are that create impediments for more dynamic system. the federal government's role has to be limited. they can provide support but

it is not going to happen from washington. >> sean: if not you i think another good floridian by the name of marco rubio. >> senator rubio is a stud. that's all i'll say. i was a big supporter of his. i saw him 10 times during the campaign. i cried every time he spoke. i'm a little sentimental as a bush, we do a lot of crying in our family, but 10 times. >> sean: i have a clip of your dad that i want to play for you. this is your dad talking about you. >> oh gosh. >> he took on a tough popular opponent, lawton chiles. as they came down the home stretch, he saw some unpleasant things happen. unfair stuff. he didn't about it. -- he didn't whine about it and he didn't complain.

[ applause ] >> barbara will -- for breaking up. any way, true measure of a man is handle victory and also defeat. >> he's a hell of a guy. >> sean: you have a very tight family. >> i do. that man right there is the greatest man i'll have ever met in my life. greatest man i know now and the greatest man i'll have ever met. in terms of decency, honor, all the virtues you would want in a man to be a role model. i could have again on a couch and said he would is me i'll be a quarter of the man that george h.w. bush was or maybe i should aspire to s